The Life of a Padawan
by Angelforceus
Summary: CHAPTER 2: Anakin walks up stairs. Obi-wan appears out of nowhere. A Padawan gets beat up. And much, much more! :-)
1. Fixing the holo-proj

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Star Wars or anything else related to it. What a shock.  
  
AN: This is border-line fluff. I only felt like writing this because I had nothing better to do. If you can't stand fluff, than I suggest you don't read this. You've been warned! Oh, and one final note: the text between the " / " s is either dream sequences or stuff that's supposed to be in italics. I'm much too lazy to write in html format . . . blah. Anyways, read on and don't forget to review!!  
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Anakin Skywalker was trying to fix the holo-projector.   
  
The Jedi council trusted him with these sort of things, and they didn't exactly  
have a handy-man around in the enormous temple to repair anything that went awry.   
So Anakin did most of the fixing. He stooped over the large holo-proj, feeling as  
dumbfounded by the problem as a bantha stuck in a Tatooine sandstorm. Annoyingly,  
this holo-proj was most . . . difficult. Not only did it seem to have nothing wrong with  
it, but it was located in the temple's main training room, where only Jedi Knights were  
allowed. Padawans were not permitted.   
  
Unless of course, you were Anakin Skywalker trying to fix the holo-proj.   
  
He had never been in the main training room before, (it was much larger than he  
had expected) and Anakin found it quite distracting with the constant clashing of  
lightsabers being dueled with among the Knights, or the simple hum of lightsaber single  
practices. He was starting to get frustrated. He had been standing in the same  
spot, trying to figure out the same problem, and the same sounds of practice battles  
he had been hearing in the last hour didn't help any. Sighing, he finally stood up  
straight after being bent over the darn thing for twenty minutes.  
  
Anakin stared down at the surprisingly complicated piece of technology, almost  
scowling at it as he tinkered with his Padawan braid that was hanging loosely behind  
his ear. He had short dirty-blonde hair, and deep blue eyes that put the most exquisite  
sapphires to shame. At nineteen years of age, he was already almost standing at six  
feet tall; quite a difference from the dirty, ragged slave boy he was ten years ago on  
the harsh planet of Tatooine.  
  
Ten years ago . . . a past that seemed like ten lifetimes ago. Many things had  
happened in that past. His mother . . . Qui-Gon . . . the fierce battle for Naboo that  
took place. . . It was a simple time to him then, but as he got older, the more he  
realized there was more to it than what he had believed. It was also a time when he  
claimed he could fix anything. Ha. Looking down at the holo-proj, it didn't seem that  
way.  
  
I swear, this thing is taunting me, he thought bitterly.  
  
"Young Padawan Skywalker, have you given up so easily?" said Jedi Master  
Mace Windu. Even as he practiced with the graceful, glowing lightsaber, he could still  
sense how Anakin was coming along with the holo-proj. A true Master, Anakin noted.  
  
"I've been standing here for an hour, Master," Anakin said as respectfully as he  
could. "But I still can't seem to see what's wrong with it . . ."  
  
"Perhaps you should try harder," Master Windu stated plainly.  
  
Translation: You're not leaving until you fix the holo-projector.  
  
"Very well, Master Windu," Anakin said softly with a indication of defeat in his  
voice.  
  
He slumped to his knees, staring at the thing that was keeping him from  
returning to his quarters after a long day. Ani had triple-checked everything he could  
think of, from imaging sequencer to making sure it was even turned on. He had found  
nothing wrong. But he felt that he was overlooking something . . . but the question  
was: What?  
  
"I'll be stuck here forever . . ." he murmured to himself curtly.  
  
In a gesture of nothing more than simple boredom, he fooled around with the  
blinking control switches. He noticed one was not blinking rapidly like the others, so,  
having nothing better to do, he reached over for it and switched it on.  
  
With a sudden loud hum, the holo-projector sprang to life. A brilliant white light  
shot out of the rounded top and temporarily blinded Anakin.   
  
"Ah!" he yelled, more in surprise than in glee.  
  
Backing away and rubbing his eyes, Anakin Skywalker couldn't help but smile in  
triumph. Finally! When his vision finally returned, he saw Mace Windu looking at him  
approvingly.   
  
"Very good," he spoke. "You have our thanks."  
  
"No problem," Anakin returned, beaming.  
  
"You may return to your quarters now, young Padawan. Don't forget to turn  
off the holo-projector before you leave."  
  
"Yes, Master Windu," he said.   
  
Grinning brightly at the thought for some well-deserved rest, Anakin squatted  
down to flick off the button which he had switched on to activate the holo-proj. He did  
so.  
  
. . . Nothing happened.  
  
Anakin winced. He didn't want to stay here another hour! He fumbled at the  
switch again but the holo-projector's light was bright and steady.  
  
He took a quick glimpse at Mace Windu, who had now found a sparring partner  
and was in deep focus in the battle. Maybe . . .  
  
Anakin inched toward the door, hoping that no one would notice the blazing  
holo-proj. Wary of all the Jedi in the vast room, he could see the freedom of the silver  
door ahead. He was almost there when he heard Master Windu speak.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, young Padawan?"  
  
Ani sighed, turned around, and sulked back to the holo-proj. He was young and  
stubborn, but that didn't mean he didn't know when he wasn't going to win.  
  
"Going to fix the holo-projector, Master," he retorted and head back toward his original position. "Going to fix the holo-projector."  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
The tremendously long and apparent never-ending responsibilities of the day  
were gone. There was nothing more anyone expected from him, and he was glad of it;   
his muscles were weary and his mind was far from focused.   
  
He needed sleep. And he needed it badly.  
  
Entering his small, yet surprisingly orderly room, (with exception of a few spare  
mechanical parts scattered in the area; he had not yet been relieved of his interest in  
such things) Anakin Skywalker headed straight for a small cot that was calling his  
name.   
  
He let himself fall onto the poor excuse for a bed, not bothering to pull off his  
boots. It seemed too much of an effort at the time.   
  
A round window was open on the other side of the room, and it allowed in a  
chilly wind that cut itself through Anakin's thin Padawan clothing. Shivering and  
annoyed by the disturbance, he turned over to his side and tried to ignore it.   
  
The wind wouldn't have it.  
  
Getting up with a frustrated sigh, the young Padawan moved toward the door  
and shut the open window with more force than what was needed. Slinking back to his  
diminutive cot and laying down once again, he was asleep before he knew it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
/Anakin stood in a forest of warmth, perfection upon everything . . ./  
  
/He wandered further into the forest, and it got darker . . . colder./  
  
/He wanted to turn back, but there was something luring him there, something  
seductive . . ./  
  
/Darkness came swiftly, devouring the light . . ./   
  
/Darkness came flying towards Anakin . . . /  
  
/ . . . he ran, but it was too fast . . . /  
  
/. . . everything turned black and cold . . ./  
  
/. . . he was surrounded in taunting shadows of fear and hate. The shadows flew  
towards him . . . he couldn't breathe! Anakin fell to his knees, grasping his throat, but  
it was too much for him . . . /  
  
/Too much . . ./  
  
Anakin awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Quickly sitting up, his hand  
instinctively felt his throat. There was nothing there to restrict him from breathing.   
It was only a dream.   
  
So cold . . .  
  
Padawan Skywalker glanced toward the window, hoping to find it open, hoping to  
find the icy wind nagging at him, hoping to find the bitter cold something of the outside  
. . . not of the inside.  
  
He looked. The window was closed.  
  
Abandoning the phantasm of a dream for an instant, he found his tossed covers  
thrown over the side of the bed from his nightmare. Groping for them in the black of  
the night, he finally retrieved them and wrapped himself up within the sheets. For a  
blessed moment, warmth returned from its banishment that the vision had caused.   
For a blessed moment, coldness was gone.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
The nightmares, they just won't go away! Anakin thought sourly.  
  
They were more frequent now, more frequent ever since Anakin had finally  
become more attuned to the Force. It was always the same: darkness came to take  
him.   
  
He never said anything about these nightmares to anyone. They belonged in the  
deepest unknown of his soul. No one needed to know.  
  
Needing to find some peace at the moment, Ani cleared his mind of everything.   
It was harder than usual, especially after such awful dreams, but he had gotten used  
to it. It had happened many times before.   
  
Using the Jedi meditating techniques his Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had taught  
him, he exhaled, dissolving most of the tension he had faced in the last hour. He could  
feel his connection with the Force and such a connection brought him peace. He  
smiled.  
  
/Anakin . . ./  
  
Anakin snapped out of his trance and glanced around the room. There was no  
one else but him. Instantly, he realized that the sound was in his head. He cleared his  
mind and focused on returning the hail. It wasn't difficult; he had an idea of who it  
might have been.  
  
  
/Obi-wan?/  
  
Anakin, came the response, you were told not to meditate this late at night.   
You are still young and are not yet experienced in blocking your thoughts and emotions  
from being felt by other that are Force-sensitive. Your attempt at mediation has . . .  
kept others restless.  
  
/Don't worry, Master. It won't happen again,/ he replied, slightly grinning.  
  
/Let's hope not./ Obi-wan's response became less serious. /You woke me up in  
the middle of a good dream./  
  
/Forgive me,/ answered Ani.  
  
/You are forgiven. Now, go to sleep./  
  
/Yes, Master,/ Anakin retorted to Obi-wan.  
  
Breaking off the connection, the Jedi-to-be did as he was told.  
  
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To be continued???  
  
Should I? Review review review!!! :-p  
  



	2. Staircases

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Star Wars. What a disappointment.   
  
Author's note: More fluff!! I think I might actually start a PLOT to this, but right now, I have no idea what kind. Oh, well....  
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Morning. Sunlight flooded into Anakin's tiny quarters and danced on his face,  
beckoning him to awaken. With a malleable groan, he opened his tired eyes, squinting  
in the bright light. He tilted his head to the side just enough to sneak a glimpse at the  
chronometer. As much as he knew that it was time to get up and face the upcoming  
Padawan chores of the day, he simply didn't want to.   
  
He also knew that if he didn't, he would encounter a long and tedious lecture;  
one that he had heard before and was not about to go through that torture once  
again.  
  
But still, a minute or two passed before Anakin was willing force himself fully  
awakened and attentive. Perched on the side of his cot, he allowed himself a stiff yawn  
and a lazy stretch. Then, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stood up and exited his  
quarters.  
  
Inside the Jedi Temple, everything was sleek and shiny, and the hallway the  
young man was now standing in seemed to extend on into infinite space. Both Jedi and  
Padawans alike were walking in the grand corridor; the Jedi Knights looking mindful and  
the young Padawans looking tired and sober. Not much different than Anakin.  
  
Unsoiled and clear, the massive windows in the passage gave a glimpse of the  
outside world Coruscant.   
  
Coruscant was pin-pricked with tall skyscrapers and buildings hiding under its  
dusky shadows. At this time of day, you could see the golden-red sunrise peeking over  
the horizon. Such a sunrise was rare, but nevertheless, beautiful. The buildings and  
zooming transports were shadowed with a aureate glow, sometimes giving even the  
crudest of the lot a sense of admiration.  
  
Not having any time to fool around, he set his pace toward his master's  
quarters, half-expecting him to already be in one of the three main training centers,  
half-expecting him to be sitting in his room meditating.  
  
After some time of walking in the halls, he finally came upon the doors of  
Obi-wan's significantly larger quarters (at least, compared to his own) and the silver  
entrance slid open with a swish.   
  
Anakin peered into the room and found it empty.  
  
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he quickly sauntered to the stairs in an attempt  
to find the location of his master. He would be in one of the three training centers,  
Anakin assumed, and he would be there waiting for him. A groan escaped his throat as  
he looked up at the winding series of steps. He wished there was a turbo-lift in the  
area nearby. Unfortunately, the Jedi Council was not very big on modern technology.   
  
As he mounted step by step, he contemplated his life here at the temple  
He knew that he was a strong-willed pupil to Obi-Wan. He had learned a long time ago  
when he was still a slave on Tatooine to be independent and resourceful. He had to.  
Your survival depended on it. But now those same "good" qualities were a hindrance to  
his training as a Jedi. Jedis have to be in control and yet sensitive to the Force, they  
have to be strongly individual and yet work together in harmony. The way of the Force  
is challenging, but his way has been extraordinarily taxing. It's like the treasure of the  
Jedi is just out of his reach. Would he ever make it?   
  
Would he ever make it? The question applied both to his life and to his task of  
making his way up the seemingly endless stairs. Step by step, closer and closer to the  
next floor. His leg muscles were tiring, and the fact that he had hours of training  
ahead of him didn't seem to help any.  
  
Finally, with a sigh of relief, he made it to the top floor: the location of one main  
training centers. He had memorized every corridor and every room located in the  
temple in the last ten years, but such a thing was not an easy task. Sometimes when  
he was tired from the tasks of a Padawan (such as today) he would find himself  
wandering aimlessly around the temple, only to find himself questioned by a passing  
Jedi knight, or sometimes another Padawan. Such as this when he brushed by one.  
  
"Sorry," he murmured.  
  
The Padawan learner turned to face him and gazed at him in awe. Anakin could  
feel himself expose a shy smile. Younger Padawans than he were usually in a state of  
wonder when the found themselves face-to-face with the "Chosen One."   
  
Even now The Chosen One sounds foreign to him, how could a slave boy from  
some obscure planet possibly be called chosen? He did believe he had an unusual gift,  
but to be called chosen creeped him out. He knew he should discipline himself to hone  
his capabilities but the rigor of the training and the boredom of it all really took all the  
motivation out of him. He wanted to be a Jedi but the price seemed high at times.  
  
Really, he felt more like a prophet where his ability to see into the future was  
really the only extraordinary power he had. But everyone around him expected so much from him and had such high hopes for his future in being in the Force. He didn't feel trapped,  
exactly, but had a slightly uncomfortable feeling somewhat kin to claustrophobia and that one day he would surely disappoint the masters around him.   
  
He must work on his attitude, yes, that's it. It's only a matter of attitude and mental determination. He would make it.  
  
He had been so preoccupied with these thoughts that he had not realized that  
he had wandered into a meeting of the Jedi Council.  
  
All heads turned to face him as he blinked stupidly at the sight before him.   
Finally registering all this, his puzzlement turned into embarrassment at his own  
carelessness. He began to babble unintelligible apologies and excuses, none of them  
seeming to ease the disapproving looks of the Jedi Council.  
  
"Young Skywalker, your arrival is . . . unexpected," a council member spoke  
coolly.   
  
Anakin could feel himself blush.  
  
"Forgive me, I, um . . ."  
  
He turned to catch a momentary view at the door still unclosed behind him,  
and made the conclusion that now would be an appropriate time to leave.  
  
"My apologies," he stammered for the third time as he rushed toward the door.   
  
After literally running out, the entrance behind him closed with a hiss. Anakin  
gave himself a mental chiding before facing two Padawans about three years older than  
himself. They just happened to be snickering amongst themselves and shaking their  
heads in mock dissatisfaction.  
  
Oh, grow up, he thought to himself coldly. His expression did not hide what he  
felt.  
  
"Young Skywalker, The /Chosen/, seems to have so many other-worldly thoughts  
that he can't walk straight," said Padawan Number One, dripping with sarcasm. "I  
wonder if they will add Sleepwalking to our cirriculum."  
  
"Hum, yes, and maybe, since he is sooooo good at holo-projectory maintenance,  
I am sure Master Anakin will be teaching it in the next year," Padawan Two retorted.  
  
Without thinking, Anakin threw himself at the second Padawan who went sailing across the atrium narrowly missing a huge vase. The young man struggled to his feet to retaliate when he felt himself being hurled down the stairs headfirst.Bloodied and embarrassed, he slunk away to lick his wounds.   
  
Anakin, appalled at his lack of control, started down the stairs after him. His  
was supposed to use the Force for good, but when he got mad or provoked, he lost all  
presence of mind and the Force became a weapon in his hands. How many times had he  
struggled with this?   
  
Not finding his classmate to apologize to, he decided that he needed additional  
help to bring his powers under his control and to discipline his mind to focus and not be  
distracted by immaturity in himself and others.   
  
Scrambling down the stairs in a desperate effort to find Obi-wan, he left  
the first Padawan staring after him looking shocked.   
  
"I hope the Jedi Council doesn't find out about this," he said mostly to himself  
as he fled down the staircase. But, in due time, he was sure that gossip would  
certainly find itself to the ears of the Council.  
  
Going back the way he came, he found himself on the floor where all the  
Padawan's rooms were located. He made a sharp left, and met another staircase,  
this time, heading to the floor below. Down where training center number two was.  
  
He wished that his master would tell him where he went off to in the morning;  
it seemed too much trouble to wander around the temple like a fool.   
  
Going down the staircase, he started to calm down once again. He was no  
longer in a hurry to find his master. Obi-wan had a way of knowing if something was  
wrong, and he didn't want to have to tell the story of what happened after his  
encounter with the Jedi Council.  
  
Passing by Jedi and Padawans alike, he tried to look casual. Perhaps this is  
what made everyone give him a funny look.  
  
Finally, he made himself to the 2nd floor. He quickly turned a corner and due to his haste, he slammed right into Obi-Wan and fell backwards, landing on his bottom.  
  
"Anakin." Obi-Wan, looking totally calm and in control, who was suddenly right before him and giving him that look that was so familiar. He reached out a hand and helped Anakin back to his feet.  
  
"Yes, Master?."  
  
"Master Yoda wants a word with you."  
  
......oh, Sith.....  
  
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AN: Like it? Hate it? Love it? Despise it? REVIEW!!! :-P 


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